Gregory Horror Show : Partners in Fantasy
by WriterErii
Summary: When two friends  That would be me and my internet bud, Bright  fall into Gregory's world, they face many challenges as they must reclaim lost souls for Death in order to get home. Will they make it? Rated T for language and some violence.
1. Prolouge

Have you ever wondered what it was like to actually escape from it all, to escape from the terrifying world of reality? Do you want to be able to rest without a worry, and see the unreal? That could be possible, if you use your imagination, but you must use it right. There is always a price to pay if you get too carried away with your thoughts. You might get lost if you do so.

There are many worlds known to human beings, may it be their own creation or those of another person. Video games, books, television shows, even dreams. They all exist somewhere, even if you don't know the way to enter that world. Some worlds you may not want to go to by will, but you may get trapped within it through the loss of your own humanity. Worlds like these should never be touched. If they ever were to be breached by a human being, someone is to blame.

The real world is tough. May you be a child at a daycare, a teenager in high school, or an adult with a job, there is no escaping the endless pain of what cannot be simply shoved away. There is always homework to be done, in order to attain a successful career in the future. Adults must work if they want to support themselves and their families.

Many other things can affect the human heart. Weakness can always shine through. Someone you love can pass away, and love can be a lie. Is love what truly makes the world go round, if it brings so much pain? Boyfriends and girlfriends cheat on each other, or just want something that can never be given back. Children may never be born at times. Dread and woe can come from this. Why then, why is this love needed? What is the point to it?

Why am I asking you these questions? You'll see. Trials as big as the one I have face alongside my friend can go a long way, and teach one of a thing called hope. Partnership and holding onto your wits can get you through more than you can ever imagine.

* * *

><p>"Phew, what a long day of walking that was…" I yawned, gazing up at the night sky as I walked along the sidewalk. My friend, Sydney, who I had planned to meet at a convention in this state, followed closely behind, just in case.<p>

"Well, yeah, walking sucks, but at least we got cool stuff, right?" In her clenched fists were the handles of plastic bags, each holding all sorts of goodies. I carried a Pokémon plush close to me. It was hard to resist the little bugger.

"You're right." I smile, yawning once again. I rubbed an eye underneath my glasses with a free hand. "Anyway…" I began, trying to start up a conversation. "How're things back at home for you, Syd? Have things gotten any better?"

Sydney, or Bright, the name I most commonly know her as, grumbled and shook her head. "Dad's still an ass, and so is my stupid brother. I have to do the dishes on Sundays to make Dad happy as usual, and Jeremy still won't stop bothering me about everything." She huffed. "Things must be better for you."

We took a turn, still lost in our conversation about how shitty our lives are. Yeah, I know, pleasant conversation, right?

"Well, I wouldn't say that." My gaze went to the ground, watching my feet keep gliding across the hardened cement. "It's hard having all these emotional issues… You know, with the medication, blah, blah, blah. It still makes me upset when my parents argue, and I'm afraid for when school actually starts. Some students can be such liars sometime."

"At least you don't live in a shithole like I do. Wish the kids wouldn't mess shit up a lot. It doesn't make it any better that we have our 'issues.'" She made this discreet, seeing as we were in public, and it wouldn't be good for people to know that we had 'problems'.

"I know what you mean. I hope no one makes fun of you for that."

"If anyone knew, I bet they would. Bunch of assholes, that's what these guys are."

I held the plush close, frowning. "Sucks." I reply, shaking my head slightly. "It's a shame how the world is… I hate it that there are bad people. Assholes that make fun of people for no good reason, gangs, rapists, murderers, I wish the world was a safer place."

"Yeah, people are fucked up."

"Yeah…" I stopped, seeing that we've reached a corner, and turned my head towards Sydney. "Say, Syd," I question, "Do you even know where we can find a taxi to go back to the hotel we're staying at?"

She stared at me blankly. "…I thought you knew."

"I suck at directions! Aw shit, we're screwed." I started cussing repeatedly in my head, my worry levels reaching its peak. What if we were stolen off of the street, what if I never see my family again, what if I die? Okay, maybe that was a bit too dramatic, but that's the way I usually am.

"Wait, I think I see a taxi right there." Sydney pointed to a regular yellow taxi with the usual sign on its roof.

"Oh, would you look at that. I guess we're lucky." Nervously, I lead us to the vehicle, now immediately becoming shy. I was never good with talking to strangers. For some reason, the windows were tinted, so I couldn't see the driver. A window opened on the other side.

"Do you need a lift to someplace, girls?" The driver asked.

"Y-y-y-yeah," I stuttered, immediately flushing.

"Where to?" He asked.

"W-Well, there's a hotel around here that we're staying at. We lost our way," I gathered my courage to continue, seeing that Sydney was hiding behind me even though I was much shorter, "Could you please take us there?"

"Yeah. I know which one you're talking about. You have to pay a fee, first, even if it isn't that far."

"Crap…" I muttered. "How much is it for a ride?"

"Not much. It costs at least seven bucks to hitch a ride there. You have enough?"

Thank goodness I didn't spend too much. There didn't seem to be much that I liked at the con, for the most part. "Yep." I reached into a purse I had slung to my shoulder and removed my wallet, taking out a five and two one dollar bills.

"You can pay me when you get inside. There's a cup in the cup holder to put your payment in."

Sydney gave a questioning look. I too, felt as if that was a bad system. "O…kay." I answered.

"Get in."

Since I was the only one with a free hand, I opened the door, holding it so that Sydney could get in. I slipped inside once she took her seat and buckled her seatbelt, placing the money in the small plastic cup. It was the only money in there. Gee, I wonder why.

Once I shut the door and fastened my seatbelt as well, the taxi started running and made a turn. On the way there, we talked some more about our lives. There was a divider between us and the driver, so we were sure he wouldn't hear us, whoever he was.

"So where was I…?" I trailed off; staring out the window as I usually would, at least, if I didn't have a portable gaming system with me.

"We were talking about how messed up people are."

"Oh, yeah."

Our conversation kept going on for a long time. It felt as if we had been going in circles. As I stared out the window, I could see the same sign over and over, the same people over and over and the same buildings over and over. It's no wonder that this guy doesn't get paid. He must piss off the passengers that he ever gets a chance to pick up and drive them around in circles just for their reactions.

Ah well, at least it gave Sydney and I some time to chat. It was tiring to let off some steam for such a long period of time. My eyelids started to grow heavy, and I had been yawning for quite a while. Reluctantly, I let them shut, drifting off into a deep sleep. Sydney did the same, eventually.

* * *

><p>"Hey. You're at your stop. Wake up. C'mon, do I have to honk the horn?"<p>

A terribly loud _**HOOOOOOOOOOONK**_ ensued afterwards.

Both of us immediately woke up, blinking.

"Took you long enough." Sydney retorted.

"Yeah, really…"

The driver grunted. "Well, you can get out now. Have fun, kids."

Sydney and I glanced at each other, a look questioning 'really?' in its gesture. We both made our way out, opening the door and scooting off of the seats.

I frowned. My plush wasn't in my arms. "Hey, sir…" I poked my head inside of the car. "Where's our stuff?"

"Huh?" He questioned. "I don't remember you girls carrying anything into this taxi. If you did, you must have dropped it before you came in, or something."

"But-" Before I could even close the side door, the wheels screeched and the taxi wheeled off like a racecar, leaving us in the dust.

"…The freakin hell was that?" Sydney stared.

"…I don't know." I turned to face her. "C'mon, let's just get to the hotel."

I turned my head back to the road in front of us. Never did I expect a sight quite like this.

A dense fog drifted through the dead woods. Leafless trees hung over the two of us like hungry vultures. The grass underneath our feet was devoid of life, yellowing by the second. The path ahead was narrow and gray, and silence was our only company that we could identify. Headstones spread throughout the fields like a plague. My eyes widened at the sight. I swear I've seen something like this somewhere before, but I couldn't put my finger on it…

"What…the…fu-"

I silenced Sydney with my index finger raised in front of her face. "Shh." I warned. I've seen this, and it's killing me. Where have I seen this before? I motioned Sydney to follow me. Hesitant, she nodded, keeping close as we both treaded through the eerie woods. Nothing made a sound. The suspense thickened…

My eyes scanned the graves. Nothing of particular interest could be found. This was true, until I actually took a gander to the dirt underneath us. A few skulls littered the cemetery. I shuddered. "E-eww." Shaking my head, I had us move onwards. My foot hit something made of glass. I stared down. It was a bottle, possibly for an alcoholic beverage.

"…Who in the right mind would drink booze in the middle of a-"

"Quiet!..." I jumped slightly from the sudden voice. I knew it was Sydney, but still, when things are as tense like this, anything could give me a heart attack at this point.

We were about to pass a circle of graves until I felt something grip my ankle. It felt rather bony. Slowly, I tipped my head down to see a skeletal hand being the thing that held onto my leg. For a moment of silence, Sydney and I stared. Seeing as this was very abnormal, I was obliged to scream. I did just that.

"AAAAUGH!" I flailed my leg around, pulling something out of the ground. Sydney immediately kicked it off.

The figure growled, echoing in a sinister sense. Red eyes flickered, causing a light of its crimson shade to reveal the form of an undead creature.

I immediately knew what it was.

"OH MY FUCKING JE-" Sydney screamed.

I paled. "FREAKIN RUN!" I yelled, snatching her by the wrist and tugging her forwards. The chase was on.

"BODIES!" The voice shrieked from behind.

When we thought it wasn't following us anymore, it would pop up from one of the graves, begging us to give up our lives for its own. Hell no, mother- yeah I shouldn't say such things.

About to cry, I kept running as fast as my short legs could take the two of us. Sydney kept spouting a ton of curses as we ran. That thing was catching up to us fast.

I was about to panic until I saw a building yards away from us. Right now was not the time to examine said structure, so I quickly swung the door open and pulled Sydney in, having the double doors slam behind us and slapping the creature right in the face. Hell yeah.

The only thing that we could hear right now was our heavy breaths. That was freaking scary.

"Oh my…holy…fuck…" Sydney stammered.

I kept breathing, examining the room around us. A large table sat by the front door. It looked like this was a lobby of some sort. Nearby was a desk, with not too many items placed on it. The most noticeable thing there would be an old book. A door sat behind the desk, for some reason. At the back of the room also laid two double doors. This looked awfully familiar.

The door behind the desk creaked open, and the flame of a small candle flickered in the dark.

"Excuse me, but do you need a room for the night?"

…Oh, crap.


	2. Settling In

The two of us snapped our heads around to catch a familiar old mouse in the vicinity. He had faded blonde hair and grey fur along with baggy maroon eyes, a couple of black freckles on his cheeks, and a dark pink jacket draped around him with a striped shirt and black pants… That explains it all.

We both simply stared at him awkwardly in silence. This shouldn't be happening. I thought this place was created by the Japanese.

"…Hello?" The mouse questioned, wondering why we were so quiet. He seemed a bit agitated with our lack of an answer.

"No, no." I reply, almost giving him a slight glare. "We were just…hiding…from something. There's no need for us to be here."

"Oh, is that so...?" He took notice of our condition, seeing that we had to run quite a long way to escape the Dead Body out in the cemetery. Our breaths were still coarse from fear and desperation. "You both look exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to stay for the night...?" He then muttered, "...or even longer...?"

In honest truth, we both were pretty tired, seeing that we were running for our lives back there. We both glanced at each other, knowing that there was no turning back anyways. We had to stay for now. There'd probably be a way to get out later.

"…Fine." I huff, really hating the idea of staying here. Having fair knowledge of the show and the game, it was clear that it wouldn't be easy for us to get out of this hotel. Even so, we'd try, I'm sure.

"Now then, I'll need your names so I can fill in your reservations."

"Erica."

"Bright."

I looked at her. Was she _really_ going to use her internet name?

"Bright…Hm, that's an... _interesting_ name… I'll just write you two in, then." With a pen in hand, the hotel manager, Gregory, wrote our names into the reservation book.

Curiously, I tilted my head. How many names were even written into that thing? It was definitely something I had to find out, when the time came.

"Now then, allow me to show you two to your room..." Gregory stepped out from behind the desk, motioning us to follow him. They're giving one room for two people? That certainly was odd. How were we going to sleep in a room with only one bed? That question would probably be answered soon enough...

Quietly, we followed him through the halls. The only source of light would be the candle in his hand. Its flame flickered softly, following the movements of the holder.

The entire hotel, for all I knew, was eerily quiet. None of the guests were really in sight at the time. Maybe they were all sleeping? Hopefully they wouldn't learn of our arrival too quickly...then again, knowing Gregory...

I shoved that thought out of my head. It wouldn't be good to picture all of the things that could possibly happen to the two of us here. Turning my head, I checked to see if Sydney was doing any good. Her expression was rather stern, she must have been thinking about what may await us as well.

Finally, we arrived at the door to our room. The door was marked with the golden number of two hundred five. This was the usual room that human guests were given... I'm really hoping that we won't get stuck here for eternity.

Gregory took a hold of the doorknob, being sure to slowly open the door just to add suspense, as he usually would to new guests, just to freak them out. Internally, I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you take a look inside...?" He grinned, the door now fully open. The two of us made our way in, taking a gander at the room. It looked renovated, almost as if he knew we were coming. The same cat portrait hung on the right wall. A small desk sat underneath it, a candle alit to provide lighting. A few books rested there, probably for reading if we were ever to be bored enough to read them. I highly doubted we would, but it may help us for the road ahead...

The floorboards and walls remained the same, along with the shutters in the back of the room, which were normally forbidden to be opened since there were...'consequences' to opening them. The usual closet sat on the left side, and to my surprise... There was a bunk bed with a ladder to get up to the top bunk. Where did they get it? I don't know why I'd be so surprised about it, but then again, it was pretty different.

"I'm Gregory," Gregory spoke behind us, unaware that we already knew his name, "Be sure to get plenty of rest... you'll need it." With a usual eerie chuckle, he slowly shut the door behind us before making his rounds. I wondered if he even slept at all. I looked over at Sydney, who looked fairly pale.

"...How the hell are we going to get out of here?" She questioned. "Nobody ever does, right?"

"Calm down, Sy- I mean, Bright..." I replied, although unsure with what I was saying, "I-I'm sure... I'm sure we can get out of here if we put our minds to it. Okay...?"

She nodded, no longer saying anything more.

"Are you taking the top or the-" I was cut off and no longer needed to ask the question, since Bright climbed up the ladder herself and curled up on the top bunk, pulling the covers over herself. She probably was really angry about this... I simply was afraid. Restless, I sat at the desk for a bit.

The silence lingered for a while, but was broken by a distant voice outside. I instantly recognized it. Silently, I pushed the seat to the desk back and got up, pressing my ear against the door.

"Do you know who I am?"

I smirked. Judgment Boy was out there. He was probably one of the more... tolerable characters around here. He always seemed to be happy, but then again, he was able to break hearts with ease, but not as well as his master, Judgment Boy Gold, would.

"They call me Judgment Boy..."

In my head, I sang along. The tune was always amusing to me. I didn't bother to open the door, however. It may freak Bright out, or even bring unwanted attention. Deciding it was best to get some sleep too, I sighed, removing my glasses from my face and sitting them on the desk, hopping up onto the bottom bunk and closing my eyes. Chains silently rattled in the room next door. Hopefully the guest in there wouldn't be shrieking tonight...

A few voices echoed in my mind at once and dispersed after a period of time, leaving me to fall into slumber and begin to dream...


	3. Starting Assignment

A bell chimed overhead. Was I asleep, or awake? I turned my head to see Bright standing next to me. Is it truly possible to both dream the same thing at the same time? A flurry of lights flew past us, and a cloud of black smoke broke out up above. The two of us remained quiet, standing on what seemed to be nothing.

"Give it up, throw away all of dem worries!" A carefree voice called, echoing through the void of this space. From the smoke, a cloaked figure appeared. In the hands of the newcomer was a rather large scythe, which would be used to free souls. On the top of his head sat a blue hat with a golden cross, which represented the Swedish flag. Grey brunette hair hung from the sides of his head, which was a skull. Lastly, golden buttons and straps decorated his torso. It was Death.

I fidgeted slightly. What did he want with us? It flustered me a little, since Death was, in fact, my favorite character of the series. We both stood there, silently staring up at him in confusion.

"'Ey! I'm talkin' to you two down 'dere! Are you going to talk or somethin'?"

Bright looked at me, smirking mischievously. My eyes narrowed at her, I knew what she was thinking. I grumbled, staring back at Death yet again.

"Uh, yeah, we are..." I scratched the back of my head. Bright snickered. I grunted back.

"Good, 'cause if you were mute or somethin', dat would be quite troublesome." He tilted his head, still holding his scythe close. "So!" He straightened himself, "It looks like you two aren't from around 'dese parts. I can tell, ya know. I bet you're wonderin' why you're exactly here, am I right?"

Quickly, I nodded. Bright was obviously enjoying this. Surely, I'd make sure to slap her sometime for doing this to me. She knew this was torture.

"Not much of a talker, huh? Don't worry about it! You can tell me anything!" Realizing that wouldn't get us anywhere, he shrugged that off and continued. "You see..." He began to explain, "The hotel you're stuck in has been snatching whoever dey can that is qualified to be brought dere. You two happen to be their newest catch."

Bright frowned, not liking this at all. "Well, why the hell would they choose us?"

I gave her a 'really' look. "Isn't it obvious...? We were talking about how bad our lives were in that taxi. It must have secretly been the one to this hotel, and it brought us here, since it knew that we were detached from reality in a sense. That and it doesn't have a better place to transport us to."

Death nodded. "Exactly." A couple of the lights from before made their way over, hovering around him. I figured that they must be lost souls. "Not a lot of the captives have been able to escape," he lowered his head, expression slight pain at the thought of what may have happened to those poor souls, "which is pretty embarrassing on my part." Yet again, he made himself float upright.

The two of us tried to calculate this. So, other people from the real world were also dragged here, even more than usual? That's not good...

"So! I can get you two outta here." He added. We both knew what was coming. "It'll take some hardships, though, so you two will have to be ready to face quite a few of your fears. The only way out is to get through the door, but if you leave now, more souls are in danger of being taken in, just so the manager's mother can devour the souls. I don't take kindly to that, you got me?"

"Yeah." I replied, "So you're saying, we have to get them back for you?"

"Pretty much."

Bright lightly stomped her foot on the invisible floor we stood on. "Why can't you do it yourself, you damned lazy ass?"

At the language, he clutched his scythe, giving her a look.

"Bright..." I frowned. "He's going to get us out if we help him. That and he probably can't show himself in the hotel, for various reasons..."

"You got dat right, pal." He floated down, so he would be in front of us. "It would be dangerous for me to show myself. In a sense, I'm a deity here. I can't just go in and out as I please."

"...Isn't that the point of being a deity?" Bright questioned.

Death shook his head. "Listen. The mouse dat eats the souls wouldn't be pleased to see me dere. She knows I free souls. If I were to show up, she would certainly have the guests after me, one way or another. You two are my only hope to get 'dose souls back. Be a bud, would ya?"

Before Bright could say another word, I held a hand in front of her mouth. "You can count on us!"

She pulled my hand down, and rather painfully, too. "What?" She hollered, "We'll get killed out there!"

"Forget about dat," Death replied, "When you find souls, you'll meet me in your dreams. If any of yous are hurt, I'll be sure to fix ya right up. Got dat?"

Bright grumbled, holding her head down and staring below us. "Fine..."

"Good! Alright, you two will need new bodies while you're here. Ta me, you both are simply wandering spirits. The ones I have for you are kinda small, but hey, no one's perfect."

"We understand." I smiled slightly, catching a small grin from Bright. I really was not liking that.

"Here ya go."

With a wave of the scythe, both of us were changed to fit the current environment. Oddly, Bright was given a form similar to her persona online, which was a fox. It fit her well. Even so, it was going to be hard to get used to polygon bodies.

"Well, dat's all for now. I'll see ya later. Good luck!"

The bell chimed again as he faded away, and everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Erica..." An impatient voice spoke to me, the sound of a tapping foot close by. Groggily, I sat up on the edge of the bed, the haze in my eyes fading. In her newly acquired body, Bright stared down at me with an agitated expression.<p>

"Sorry," I hopped from the edge, standing on the wooden floor. The boards creaked slightly on impact. "I tend to sleep a bit late when I stay up a bit longer..."

"Well, obviously." She replied, her flat hands on her blocky hips. Her tail swished across the floor in slight agitation. "Now how the hell are we going to start with our, you know-"

"Shh." I hushed her. Cautiously, I crept towards the door. Closing one eye, I peeked through the keyhole, being sure to look in both directions. The hallways were empty and silent. I turned my head back to her, smiling nervously. "...Can't be too careful here... Anyone can hear us."

"Yeah, I get it." She walked over. "What should we do now?"

"I say we explore a bit... Find out everyone's weaknesses, if you know what I mean. J-Just be careful not to be seen..."

"...Are you FREAKIN' NUTS?" She screeched, towering over me.

Frantically, I raised my hands up, trying to tell her that she must be quiet. "Shh! I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only way. Come on, let's get a move on."

She sighed, knowing that we'd have to leave our room sooner or later. Knowing what lies ahead of the door, we both took a grip on the golden knob, pushing the door open in a painstaking manner. It was bad enough that there was yelling in our room, it would be worse if we were seen stepping through the door.

Nobody was around at the moment, thank goodness for that. I point to the left. "You take that side," I whisper, "I'll take the other."

"Hell no, Catherine's on that side. You take it."

"N-No, you take it-"

"You-"

"Fine..." I grumble, now taking the side I had originally assigned Bright to take. Hastily, she went for the door which contained the lobby, just so she'd feel safer. Still, there were other characters around here to be afraid of.

Within a minute of walking through the halls, she already returned, bumping into me and nearly giving me a freaking heart attack.

"OH GOD-"

"What-? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Cleaver." She simply responded.

"...Dear Death what time is it?" I frowned, now unsure of what to do. If Catherine was on the left and Hell's Chef was on the right, then we are pretty much screwed right here.

"M-maybe we should go back to our rooms before we die-"

"Bright..." I sighed. "How about we go upstairs, for now? It'll probably be safer there. Sure, Lost Doll will be lurking, but she most likely will be up in her room... Okay?"

"...Okay, I guess. But if everything gets messed up, I'm blaming you."

Agreeing to these terms, we both went through a corridor, staring at the walls around us as we passed. On the other side, stairs awaited us. "Let's go." I motion Bright to follow, but it's not as if she'd stray away from me, anyways.

At the top of the stairwell, we made sure that the coast was clear. It seemed like it... On our toes, we crept along the hall. It sounded like Lost Doll was talking to herself in her room. It would be best not to check it out, for now.

What piqued my interest was a different door at the end of the hallway. This was usually where a saving point would be in the game... But now it was a new room. It makes sense, seeing as this is the true Gregory House, not the minor version with fewer cast members. I eased in, taking a peek through the keyhole. Immediately, a figure rose up and stared at me straight in the eye, causing me to stumble backwards in shock.

"The he-" Bright noticed the door starting to open, so she grabbed me by the wrist and immediately dragged me down the other stairwell.

That was definitely going to hurt in the morning.


	4. Suspicion and the First Soul

**Author's note**: The way the story is told will change depending on which character is being focused on. Sometimes, it'll be told in first person, while other times, it'll be told in third person. I hope this doesn't confuse you readers while you check out the latest chapters. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>"Ow…" I groan as we had finally made our way down the stairs. "Nice save, I guess, but really, there could have been a much more painless way to haul our asses out of there- at least for me…" Quickly, I propped myself back up, still feeling some pain in my hindquarters.<p>

"Well excuse me, that guy was gonna spot us, so we had to move away quickly enough." Bright huffed, folding her arms and pouting. I gave her a look and shook my head, then trotted over to her side.

A bit unnerved, I placed my cardboard-like arms at my sides. "True…" I trailed off. "Anyways, we should try and figure out how we're going about getting souls from the guests here." I added, having an odd feeling of being watched. When you think about it, this place has a ton of guests, enough to make you think you're never safe. Bright nodded. "Maybe we should go to the lobby and start from there?" I ask.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Bright replied, swishing her tail around once more. My eyes narrowed slightly. Did I hear some sort of clicking sound way behind us? Hopefully it was just my imagination. "…What's up?" My partner questioned.

I hesitated for a second. "…Did you feel like we were being watched?" Bright looked at me as if I was diseased or something.

"Not really, no." She then muttered, "I wouldn't be surprised…" Sighing, she cut the conversation. "Let's just get to the lobby, as you said."

"Okay…" I responded, now being the leader once more.

* * *

><p>It didn't take us too long to get to the lobby, seeing as we only had to pass through one hall and turn to make our way over there. The only thing accompanying us at the moment would be the candles sitting on the walls, illuminating the halls.<p>

"So," I began, still a bit shaken up from before, "What I'm thinking is that we really should work on our own and have occasional meetings." I raise my arms and point around, gesturing that this place is a bit too big to just be handled with us accompanying each other the whole time.

"Okay. You have a point, but, it's still nerve-wracking."

"Then we'll take on the easier tasks first. Why don't you go to the library and see if you can find any useful information?"

"And READ? You're kidding."

"Unless you want to go downstairs where the basement dwellers are..."

"…Library it is!" With that statement, Bright was immediately off and speeding off to the library. This made me smirk. However, I couldn't trust her with staying in there very long, but it doesn't matter. We both need to be independent.

Curious, I turned my head to gaze over at the front door. It usually was deemed to be the exit... Would we really have to go through so much pain and suffering when the answer was right in front of our face? In silence, I approached, examining it. There wasn't a lock to look through... Maybe if I listen into it? Gently, I pressed the side of my head against the door. The only thing I could hear was the whistling of the wind. It almost sounded like the painful moaning of lost souls, drifting endlessly in this world of darkness and chaos. My gaze lowered slightly, now feeling sympathy for the souls. It'd be good to help them...

"What are ya doin'?"

I jump, almost about to scream and turn around, my heart about to jump out of my chest. My shocked expression then became one of annoyance; however, I was honestly relieved. A mouse that was smaller than Gregory stood before me with a cheeky grin on his face. He had violet eyes just like him, along with blonde hair. At least he didn't look as ugly as the old rat... He also wore a red and yellow striped shirt, along with brown shoes. Freckles gathered at the center of his face and his fur was of a beige color. It was easy to tell who this boy was.

"Leave me alone, James." I replied in an irritable tone. The child sneered at me, now walking around to stand in front of me.

"Hey, how do you know my name?" He asked, however did not seem fazed at all.

"I-uhm-" I hesitated for a second and then came up with a quick answer. "Well, your grandfather told me all about you. He told me about how...charming... you are, as well as being...'well-behaved.'"

The rodent boy snickered a bit, knowing clearly that he was most certainly not well-behaved at all.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go..." I turn around and start to leave, but the little delinquent started following me. Sooner than I knew it, he was throwing all kinds of questions at me that I didn't feel like answering.

"Do you know why you're here? Why do you wear glasses? How old are you? Do you know anything else about this place? Do you wanna play? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, lady. Is your favorite color black? Are you easily depressed? Hey, are you listening to me?"

I swear I would prefer space core over this any day. This guy was able to ask all of these questions in a mere ten seconds. Thankfully Death could hear my inner cries for help; I'm sure, because as soon as we approached one of the halls that branch out of this one, he took a turn there. Finally, I was left alone.

It always felt spooky to roam these dimly lit halls. For sure, it was much more suspenseful when witnessing the terror on your own, rather than just having a blocky character on a screen do all of the walking and screaming inside a television screen.

An odd sound like the movement of mechanical limbs grabbed my attention. Now by the second hallway which branched from this one, I caught a small glimpse of something circular and copper-tinted, as well as a golden swirl close to it. An anonymous stalker took off in a flash, leaving me bewildered.

* * *

><p>"I better tell Lost Doll that she has a couple of new playmates... She'll be thrilled."<p>

The unknown being trotted up the stairs, now in search of the little girl to tell the news.

* * *

><p>Finally, I started to see more doors come into view. They weren't what I was looking for, but it's good to know your location from small things like that. From behind me, there was the click of a door opening. It was coming from the room of the Mummy family. My heart stopped, but my body refused to stop moving and helped me to a small indent in the hall, which was a good place to hide.<p>

Footsteps were heard close by. Cautiously, I tip-toed to the corner of the indent and peeked over while listening in to their conversation, just to look and see if they had anything interesting to say. A mellow voice reached my ears.

"Well, it's time to go back to your mother, son. She's been waiting for us."

"Yay! Picnic in the garden!"

I always did wonder how undead dogs could actually devour anything, but that wasn't important right now. It would be good to make my way to the basement to see if there were any supplies I'd need which could be located down there. Hesitant, I removed my hands from the edge and turned, focused on getting downstairs.

My glance kept switching sides often. I felt as if I could be jumped any moment now. A few beads of sweat trickled down the side of my head as I began to pass Catherine's office. There was giggling from the other side of the door. I refrained from gasping. Reluctant, I turned around and headed over there. Maybe a peek wouldn't hurt.

With my arm shaking, I gripped the knob and turned it slowly...slowly...

...Empty. For all I knew, no one was in there. Then what did I hear...? Maybe it was just what I wanted to hear. It's possible I may have desired a thrill. That's how this hell hole worked, right...?

...right?

Without even daring to open the door any further or step foot into the office, I pulled the door back softly, which clicked when it was back in place.

I probably should get downstairs immediately, before anything else happens. As I neared the basement entrance, I could hear that accursed giggling again. I glanced to the far right, not bothering to turn my head around. Go downstairs, now.

Through the rusted archway, I head through and went down the dusty stairs which lead into the basement.

* * *

><p>Erica's orange-furred friend arrived at the door to the first floor library, glad that she didn't have to witness anything utterly horrifying or terribly annoying on her way there. Casually, without peeking, she opened the door, finding no one in her line of sight.<p>

Without much of a care for books, however following instructions, she began to scoop up a couple of seemingly interesting novels and guidebooks from the table and the shelves. She wandered around the corner, about to look into the next rack of shelves until she bumped into somebody.

"Excuse me!" The female cried out, turning with an angry expression upon her face, until it softened, realizing she was in the presence of a newcomer. "Oh...!"

Bright stared, now not very pleased with her decision of taking the library task. A beige dog with a buttoned yellow gown floated in front of her with white angel wings on her back allowing her to flutter in midair. The hair on her head was of a magenta color and her pupils had an array of rainbow dots as if they were mosaic glass windows. A lightweight wand was grasped in her right paw, and she gave a warm smile to the stranger. Bright's ears twitched.

_'Not this bitch...'_ She complained in her head.

"You must be new here~!" The dog chimed, twirling her wand around in glee.

"Well, yeah. We probably got here at least a few hours ago... maybe even more."

"'We?'" She questioned, blinking. "How lovely. We don't usually get more than one new guest at a time... If you ever need help, I'll be sure to be there to guide you!"

Bright shook her head. "No, thanks. We can find our way around here on our own. Besides, I'm sure you have _**better**_ things to do than wait to be able to help us."

The angelic canine sighed, tapping the tip of her wand in another paw. "I suppose so... But if you ever change your mind, just let me know~!"

Bright cringed, knowing that this dog was trouble, even if she looked innocent now. "Uhm, okay, I guess..." Quickly, the fox bolted out of the library to avoid further conversation with the split-personality dog. Now that she found some books for her partner and herself (maybe just for her partner), she decided it was best to at least put them in the bookshelf back in the guestroom.

Everything went perfectly swell until a voice shouted to her.

_**"JUDGMEEEENT!"**_

_'Oh fuckin' a-'_ Bright jumped in surprise from the sudden call.

From above, a scale dropped down. "Do you know my name?~" He sang. A railing attached to his violet striped cap allowed movement, while a couple of five ton weights from the bottom kept him from being too light, in case of sharp turns and stops. His head was of a scarlet color, and blonde hair hung from the sides, as well as acting as a small bang out front. Grey pupils gazed down at Bright from his mask-like eyes, with his blonde brows quirked. A fang stuck out on each corner of his mouth as he smirked, amused by the fox's confused expression. The words "The Judgment Day" were etched onto his yellow, purple, and magenta stripped torso, while two cages hung down from his metal bar arms. In his right cage, a golden nugget was trapped inside. In his left, a warm, shining heart sat.

Bright couldn't help but at least grin a little bit; however, it came out a bit nervously. "Judgment Boy...?"

Judgment Boy was rather surprised at the wisecrack of an answer, but hey, she got it right. "I'm surprised you know who I am so early." He replied.

_'Well, with you singing that song all the time I'm surprised you wouldn't expect that...'_ Bright thought to herself. Realizing she didn't answer back yet, she perked. "Uhm, yeah. I guess I was told about you earlier... Can't remember who told me, or when I was told."

The scale nodded in understanding. "Do you know how to play the judgment game~?" He questioned, now tilting his arms side to side so the weight of both charms wouldn't hurt too much.

"I guess so...?" She answered, unsure of herself. The game had begun without her even knowing.

"Trapped in a bloodstained hotel from another dimension, you are to face many challenges and possibly witness pain and suffering. However, there is also the real world, where you already suffer the pain of a demanding father and an ill-behaved brother. There is only one place you are destined to stay. Which do you chose?"

Bright folded her arms. This answer was quite obvious to her. "Even though my dad and my brother are both a pain in the ass, I won't always be living with them. That pain will end once I find a place to live on my own. Obviously, I'm going back to the real world."

"Alright, then, let's ask the Scales of Truth!" He continued to sway side to side. "Which will it be, money or love? Only the scales know for sure..." Swiftly, he spun around, screaming, "_**JUDGMENT**_-" he stopped, tilting over to one side. "Now!" The cage holding the golden nugget opened underneath, causing the charm to fall and break. Judgment Boy remained tilted, seeing as the weights were now imbalanced.

He smirked. "Because of the suffering you had to face, you decide the real world is the place you are destined to live in. With both you and your friend Erica's determination, you both make it back to the real world, safe from further harm. That's the truth. I'll be seeing you." Judgment Boy turned, about to head back to the judgment factory when he realized something. "Oh, yes." Yet again, he faced Bright, who gave him a confused expression once more. "Word has it that you are looking for something like this, I assume?" Out of nowhere, a blue flame floated over, heading to the floor and revealing itself to be trapped in a jar. "Think of it as a little gift from me to you. Farewell!" He had himself turn once again, and the rails creaked as he moved across the halls. "Do you know _who I am_...?" The voice faded as he moved farther and farther away.

In glee, Bright picked up the jar, holding it up proudly as it shimmered in a bright light, and then calmed down as she brought it back down to shoulder level. "That was so damn easy." She spoke to herself. The fox then grinned, realizing something. "I should show it off to Erica- but first, maybe I should get these heavy things into the bookshelf..." The excitement simmering down, Bright opened the door to the guest room and put the books away.


	5. Confrontations

Downstairs, it was awfully dark. At home, when it was nighttime, I'd usually keep the lights on everywhere I went so I could see. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to come down here, but what other options did I have?

It'd be best for me to search for objects that may be needed throughout our stay here. To my knowledge, there were a few things I could find that would be of any use. For example, the remote would be needed to take on TV fish. Hopefully I'd be able to find the batteries for it...

After what seemed to be endless wandering, I stumbled upon a hall with three sets of red doors, each set with a number printed above them: numbers one, two, and three. Yep, these were the storage rooms I was looking for. I entered the small room with the number one looming over it and checked for any useful items.

The room was very spacey. Herb plants were lined up against every wall, and a candle stood in the center of a room to light the place up. The only thing that really stood out was a couple of mushrooms in the bottom left corner, which were possibly the equivalent to acid, if I may add. I sighed, seeing that these weren't going to be very useful for me. If it was a game, maybe, but this is real. Quietly, I leave the first room and head out, making my way to the door marked with a number two above it.

Inside, it was rather empty. Yet again, a candle occupied the room, and a few crates sat in a corner, as well as a few large wooden boards on the other side. Curious, I peeked into one of the crates but then drew back from the awful stench that emit from it.

"Eww. Expired cheese..." I shook my head, looking around a bit more, finding a few empty cans lying around. None of these things looked any bit useful, so it'd be best to leave this storage room as well. Without even bothering to look back, I swung the door open and closed it behind me, trotting over to the third door.

I opened it, not too surprised that the room was actually filled up much more than the other two were. There were plenty of boxes taking up space, most of them containing bottles of an arranged assortment of beverages, but they looked alcoholic, so I refrained from taking any of them. Larger bottles sat in the corners. I definitely did not want to know what they were for. Other than that, there were a few planks of wood lying around like in the second room.

Thanks to the candle sitting nearby, I was able to spot something out of the ordinary. A dead remote laid flat on the dirt floor. Smiling, I claimed it, shoving it into one of my pockets. It was time to go, I had what I needed.

"Well, got the remote, that's good..." I spoke to myself as I shut the door and begun walking. "It'll be pretty useful."

Since my work was done here, I figured it'd be time to get out of here before I'd find anyone I would not have the pleasure of bumping into.

I went back down the hall casually. It wasn't usual for a ton of the other guests to be hanging around here, so I figured I would be okay. I turned around the bend and started retracing my steps to head back...

"Ah, what do we have here?"

My heart almost skipped a beat. Quickly, I turned my head. I didn't recognize this character... But was a new one really possible?

Psychotic red eyes stared back at me from the darkness. The unknown entity edged in a bit closer so the light would give me a better visual.

He had no legs, for he was pretty much a ghost of some sort. His whole body, for the most part, was a smock like my barber would place over me so my hair clippings wouldn't stick all over my clothes. He also had some white tag on it... But it didn't have a name printed on it. One of his arms was of the same smock material, with what seems to be a drill attached to it. The other arm looked like the poles which represented a barber shop: stripes of red, white, and navy blue. Attached to that arm was a pair of scissors. They looked abnormally thick.

His skin was pale and a ghostly shade of turquoise. A mask went over where his mouth should be, like what a dentist would wear. He also wore a cap in the same shade of aqua green, in which his frizzy dark brunette hair would crawl out from underneath. His eyes, like... who was from those horror movies... Jigsaw, that was who I was thinking of- They were staring back at me in a curious manner. I cringed as I looked at the scissors on his arm. It looked like he could stab me with those things. Who was he, the crack child of Jigsaw and Edward Scissorhands?

After I hesitated for what seemed to be a few minutes, I spoke up.

"...Who are you? I-... I don't remember someone like you... belonging in Gregory House."

The ghost chuckled in a way that made my stomach churn.

"A lot of things happen in Gregory House..." He floated a bit closer. The bastard better stay away if he knows what's good for him. "For a newcomer, you do have quite the knowledge..." He then mumbled, but to no avail was heard by me, "...as well as well-brushed teeth..." I didn't want to know if that was a compliment or not. He continued in a normal tone, actually meaning for me to hear him, "But nothing ever stays the same forever. Things can take an unexpected turn. So, what you may know won't help you."

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my teeth together, but then relaxed, seeing as that wasn't going to help me with anything. "You didn't answer my question." I reply dryly, already taking a disliking to this odd character. He had the metal end of the drill click against the scissors, tilting his head very slightly yet looking content.

"That is nothing of importance, dear girl, as you probably will not need to learn it..." His voice became raspy, "..._until you're one of us_."

I retreated a foot behind me, about to high-tail it out of here. Still, I had a score to settle with this punk. "No way in hell will I ever become one of you bloodthirsty Satan-spawn freaks who live in this hotel. So don't even try." My brows furrowed, now that my anger started to rise a bit, because I was beginning to feel the fear grow deep inside.

He simply laughed as if I told him a hilarious joke. I shrunk back, my heart starting to beat harder. What was so funny...?

"You have a lot of nerve." He snickered. "How noble... Because you even had the guts to speak back to me like so, I assume you are deserving of my name..." He hesitated. "The name's Dental Barber. Don't forget it. Now..." He turned, facing the direction away from me, "I must tend to some of the guests. Maybe you'll be one of my patients when the time comes..." With that, he floated away, being swallowed by the shadows.

"...Prick." I muttered, now beginning to take my leave. Now that I thought about it, there have been a few new faces around the hotel... There was that one guy not long before that Bright and I tried to spy on, yet he was about to leave his room. Maybe more guests did check in, which was not a good sign. Did they have souls with them, too? It looked like there wouldn't be any indication if someone had one or not, so we'd have to chance it...

As I walked, I noticed that a new door was actually located around here the whole time. It was much different from the usual red doors down here. The thing was practically made out of steel, it seemed. Curious, I took a look through the keyhole, which I was surprised one was actually placed there.

I took a gander at what looked like a laboratory. Everything was practically white in the room. There were many counters with different instruments and projects sitting on them. A few test tubes sat on the counter in the center of the room while they were contained on a rack to prevent any damage or spillage if one rolled off or were to be dropped. Some hair samples sat in the back of the room, and odd looking plants were to the far left. It all looked very interesting, but I had a feeling I shouldn't be entering without permission from whoever uses this lab. With caution, I took a step back and left, heading back the way I came once again.

The whole time I was walking, my footsteps echoed throughout the corridors. I remained hopeful that no one would actually hear them and bother to follow the source. After what felt like a few hours, I returned to the room which contained the stairwell up to the first floor. When all seemed to finally settle and remain quiet, I heard my name being called by a cheery voice up the stairs.

"ERICA! ERICA! You gotta see this! I found the first soul!"

What? She found a soul already? I crossed my fingers, hoping that this was the actual Bright and not some sort of illusion.

Thankfully, it was her. Proudly, she trotted down the stairs and bolted over to me, practically shoving a jar with a soul in my face. "How awesome is that?" She smirked. "Looks like you still need to find one~ Heehee."

I rolled my eyes, tilting my head. "Who'd you get it from?"

"Judgement Boy. It was so easy, too! I just had to play that weird game of his, as usual." She held the jar at her side, making sure to hold it so she wouldn't drop it. "I'm sure you'll find someone as easy as him to snatch one of these from. He practically gave it to me, though."

"Good for you," I replied, not sarcastically, but pretty much congratulating her with a simple statement. "But remember, this isn't going to be a cakewalk. Everyone else is going to be utter hell to steal their lost souls from, except for a few others. We'll have to find things out, as I said."

"Oh, alright, I get it." She nodded. "We should get some rest now, right?"

"Yeah, we should. We have a long week..." I mutter, "_I hope_," Then went back to a normal tone, "...ahead of us. So it'd be good to sleep to save some energy."

With our agreement, we both went up the stairs and back into the hall. As if we owned the place, we proudly started heading back to our room until we were abruptly interrupted.

"Excuse me," A familiar voice called out to us from the corner, "But what do you two think you're doing?"

'_Shit, it's Gregory._'I thought.

We both twirled around to face the old rat, in which Bright hid the soul jar behind her back.

"Nothing, Gregs." I reply, a slightly sly grin on my face.

He frowned. I guess he didn't like my nickname for him. "You two shouldn't be roaming the halls like that. I wouldn't want anything terrible to happen to you..." He chuckled lowly, "That and you sure do look tired... Why don't you head back to your room to rest? You both look like you're getting a little pale..."

'_I'm always pale..._' I commented to myself in thought, a bit anxious to just leave. "We get it. We'll get to bed."

"Good. Now if you don't mind, I'll be on my way..." He passed the two of us, Bright making sure that the jar was still out of his line of sight. When he was far enough to be unable to hear us, we sighed in relief.

"I hate that guy." Bright commented.

"Same. Let's just go, before anyone else bothers us."

As we were told, we went back into our room. Immediately, Bright climbed up into bed with her newly collected soul in her arms, so she could hand it to Death in her sleep. It didn't take too long for her to drift off.

Sleeping sounded okay... But I wanted to check some things out. Maybe peeking around a bit more wouldn't hurt, as long as Gregory didn't find me.

With all the confidence I could muster, I opened our door and closed it behind me, now tip-toeing through the dangerous halls.


	6. Snooping as Usual

**Author's Note: **I changed the rating from M to T, if it must be changed back, please let me know. Thank you.

* * *

><p>Since it was such a late hour, nobody seemed to be present in the halls. Internally, I sighed. It was kind of lonely, even if I had a strong dislike towards most of the guests in the building, only because they can do harm to me here. Now, if I was back in the real world, then things would be different.<p>

I made sure to be extra quiet when passing Catherine's office, even though she probably wasn't working in there now. As far as I could tell, everyone was asleep. This fact made me wonder if Gregory ever slept. He never seemed to.

I approached a corner and turned, still being as cautious as ever. As I passed the judgment factory, I could hear the clanking and cranking of the beams and rails which supported the judgment boys. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if one were detached. Maybe they'd fall through the floor or something, I don't know.

Once again, I find myself in the hallway where the Mummy family's room is located up ahead. My heart pounds slightly, in which I frown and continue on. When I stepped near the steel door which led out to the garden, I could hear laughter.

Softly, I pressed my ear against the door. It was the mummy dogs alright. However, I could've sworn I heard I feminine voice in the bunch, yet it sounded so alike to the other two. I closed my left eye and eased the other by the keyhole and looked through it. There was another dog. She was tall, sleek, and blue, which overall gave her a more pleasant appearance than the boys by far. Her gown also helped differentiate, and oddly enough, a plant which looked like the piranha plants in the Mario series was growing out of her head.

"Mummy Mama..." I murmur, narrowing my eye slightly. It would be best not to disturb them... They looked like they were having a grand time as a family. It actually wrenched my heart. The family was so happy… while everything in this hotel would be dreadful. How they managed by being together touched me. Shaking my head, I sighed. I really did miss my family. One way or another, I swear I'd get out of here if it was the last thing I do.

On high-alert, I continued my little exploration and crept around the next corner, making sure not to make a sound. I felt abnormally tense. These halls felt like they stretched on for miles, even if they only took a few minutes to get by. Maybe it'd take even a minute to go through one if you were running for your dear life.

I reached the stairwell on the other end of the hall. My eyes scanned the area suspiciously as I climbed up, just to be sure I wouldn't be spotted by someone. The floorboards creaked underneath my feet, which made me tremble slightly. Every ten seconds I turned my head around, just in case anyone would be following from behind. This place certainly could make you paranoid to a high degree.

Yet again, there was that odd door where this new person apparently worked and slept. On my toes, I went over to the keyhole and peeked inside. That same guy from before was in there... He wore a navy blue top with a pocket protector on his left side, which held a spare pen. One eye was ice blue, which had a somewhat piercing look to it. A monocle hung around that eye, while the other was a hypnotic golden swirl with a purple backdrop. That side of his face was practically torn and revealed that inside, he was actually made of metal. His arm on that side was bare, showing no cover whatsoever, and there was a hole in his chest around there, too. I could see a mechanical heart. It was beating ever so slowly...

Gray hair hung on his cranium wherever there wasn't a tear. He had ears like a normal person as well. What unnerved me a bit more was that he had a mouth like Lost Doll, which made him look kind of like a puppet. At least he had a beard, which made it a bit less horrible to look at, since I found it a bit more bearable. Lastly, he simply wore black pants and shoes.

This man was holding a clipboard, and it seemed like he was talking to someone. Slowly, I turn a bit to see. Ah, Cactus Gunman. Why was he here so late at night?

"Please, tell me what the problem is," The odd man asked in a calm, monotone voice. As he spoke, he took out a clipboard and removed his pen from his pocket, clicking the back so the point would pop out.

The cactus on the other side cringed, then tilting his sombrero downwards as if to hide his uneasiness. "There are these leetle noises c-coming from outside of my room..." He shuddered. "I don' know what they are, but because of them, I cannot sleep. Please help me."

I couldn't help but smile a bit. Poor Cactus Gunman, having to be so insecure. Maybe now's the time I'd stop stalking. Before I left, I made sure to read the sign next to the door. It read, 'Hypno Earl's hypnotic therapeutic services.' Earl... I'll keep that in mind.

The library should have a few more books that could be snagged at this time, so I decided to go and take some, just in case. It's always a good thing to be extra prepared for anything, especially if something is needed to calm the nerves.

Still, the hallways remained clear. Sometimes I felt as if I could hear the faint sound of footsteps. Having an acute sense of hearing was a blessing and a curse.

The library was close by, which was quite the advantage. I didn't want to make any noise from walking around too much. With this in mind, I made sure to open the door in a way that would keep it from creaking as much as it usually would.

Most of the books weren't very interesting, to say the least. Usually, I'd be into fiction. To be more specific, fantasy. Even supernatural books would interest me. Ones I could find were books on health, physics, self-help... All of them were rather boring. I scanned the shelves further and found one related to lost souls. What would something like this be doing around here? Didn't Gregory want to keep new guests from finding out the truth of this dreaded hellhole? Even so, I snagged it. It'd be an interesting read later.

With the book tucked under my arm, I snuck out of the library and trotted to my room in silence. I could barely see, which was quite irritating, to say the least.

Eventually I made it back to the bedroom. My eyes felt cloudy and I yawned briefly. Now would be a good time to get some sleep. I opened the drawer to the desk and slid the treasure of a book inside, then pushing the drawer back into place. Tired, I removed my glasses from my face and placed them on the tabletop, then sliding back up into bed. When would I get my hands on my first soul? Only time would be able tell... Closing my eyes, I instantly drifted into slumber.

* * *

><p>At least four hours later, Bright awoke to find herself in bed without a jar cradled in her arms. The soul was successfully handed over to Death. She yawned, pulling her tail back up from the edge of the bed. In curiosity of Erica's well-being, she peeked over the edge of her bunk to find her partner sound asleep.<p>

"That's what she gets for not going to bed early..." Bright murmured, and then taking the ladder to help her down onto the floor.

She pondered on what her next course of action would be.

_'It's early. Breakfast may be soon, and who knows how many people will be there...?'_ She wondered. _'Maybe if I hide under the table... I'll get a crapload of information. It's genius.' _

With a bright smile on her face, she slipped out the door and headed for the dining room in a silent fashion. There, she slid under the table and made sure her tail wouldn't be swishing around and possibly brushing against one's legs.

"...Ew, it's dirty under here." She complained to herself in a whisper. Her eyes scanned the rug momentarily, finding a few crumbs here and there, as well as some stains, which hopefully from food and not something else.

For an hour being the longest, she had herself curled under the table, waiting for some of the guests to arrive. She cringed at the thought of the ones who intimidated her the most, but now was a time to be a team player. Her ears perked at the sounds of footsteps, as well as voices.

"So, what do you theenk about the new guests, Catherine? I haven't seen them yet..." A feminine Spanish accent could be heard beyond the doors. They creaked as they opened as two guests let themselves in and sat down next to each other. Bright froze, making sure to be quiet and as still as a rock.

"Ohh, the human is simply adorable. The other one is pretty ugly, if you ask me."

Bright rolled her eyes. _'Thanks, psycho bitch.'_

"For some reason, the thought of the human's blood riles me up." Catherine then cackled ominously. "I have a surprise planned for her...a blood test, simply as a housewarming gift."

Bright perked. _'Oh shit, Erica's gonna be in big trouble... I have to warn her when I get back to her.' _She frowned, now anxious.

"But Catherine, that eesn't right... Eesn't it?"

_'Go on, tell the bitch what's right.'_

"I mean... We don't want them to be weakened just yet, do we?"

Catherine paused, tucking her large syringe under her arm. She quirked a brow and glanced over at the cactus sitting right next to her. "That may be so, but it has to be done sometime..." She giggled.

_'Shit.'_ Bright cussed in her mind.

More guests started to flood in and occupy the seats, which made Bright uneasy. _'If I ever get to telling you the news, Erica, you better be thankful...'  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Mrgh..." Groggily, I sat up and opened my eyes. Here, it still felt like it was nighttime. Why did this place have to be dark every hour of the day?<p>

Hopping out of bed, I rubbed my eyes to be rid of the sleepiness and went over to grab my glasses and place them back on. Looks like Bright left not too long ago, seeing that her bunk was vacant.

A bit hesitant, I strode over to our door, peeking through the keyhole just in case anyone was going to bump into me. If only I knew what time it was, then it'd be easier to know the locations of the other guests. No one seemed to be coming, so I stepped outside and made sure to close the door behind me. Not like that would keep anyone from snooping.

I had a feeling that it'd be best to go to the lobby. Something was bound to happen there since it was pretty much the center of the building where most events would occur, especially the arrival of new guests. That'd only be important to Gregory...

Once there, I checked if there were any clocks for me to find the time. There didn't seem to be any. Hearing voices from the dining room, it was probably morning or noon. If it were any later than that, I probably beat my record for the longest time I slept from night to whenever.

"Should I...?" I asked myself, a bit shaky at the thought of actually speaking to any guests or checking the room. Who knew how many people were in there, especially the ones I feared most. Shaking the feeling off, I looked inside to see some of the kids for a split second, but it looked like the doors were about to be opened.

_'Sh-' _

The doors burst open, causing me to fall back and scramble back to my feet. Most of them didn't seem to be very interested with me, like My Son. The little clock child started heading to the storeroom to work on the grandfather clock in there.

One, however, had a spark in his eye. "Hey!" That voice was awfully familiar. I'm surprised I didn't hear the usual term from his mouth.

A child with a red face hopped up to greet me, his black eyes staring up endearingly through his brunette bangs. As if a hat, a roulette wheel hung on his head and he wore a checkered outfit to match the theme. It was Roulette Boy, which was just peachy.

"You don't look like you're having much fun. Why don't you play with me? I know the perfect game!"

"Well, I really-"

"Okay, let's go!"

With a tight grip he held my arm and started pulling me over to the basement door. I guess I was going to play the only game in which a terribly sadist child could think of himself: Hell's Roulette. With only a split second to look back at the blur of other guests, I was brought downstairs without much time to have a say in anything.

"I hope Erica's still in our room..." Once the dining room had emptied out, Bright shot out from under the table when the coast became clear. Swiftly, she made her way to the bedroom to check and see if her friend was still asleep in her bunk. However, little Bright know that Erica was going to be involved in an unforgettable board game.


End file.
